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June 24, 2016
LoneOStar Outdoor News
LSONews.com
FISHING
South Texas catán chef realizes dream By M.A. Landin
For Lone Star Outdoor News Its overlapping rows of sharp, canine-like teeth can shred human flesh in a matter of seconds. In various shades of olive, its long body can grow up to 9 feet in length from the massive tail to the thinbilled snout. Fishermen have caught some alligator gar weighing more than 300 pounds. Undoubtedly, an alligator gar is
a mirror image of those prehistoric monsters depicted slithering out of Ice Age waters in Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Amazingly, such an ugly and scary fish can be tasty, but it takes a delicately deliberate hand to prepare it just right. Minnie Garcia, owner of the Blue Marlin in San Benito, has been preparing the feisty fish for more than 25 years. “The secret is preparing the fish
GAR FOR DINNER: Patrons come from miles around to feast on the specialty at the Blue Marlin restaurant in San Benito, alligator gar nuggets. Photos by M. A. Landin, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
without its harsh, mud-concentrated flavor,” 65-year-old Garcia said. “That is the secret to the best-tasting catán.” Alligator gar, known as catán in the Rio Grande Valley, is Garcia’s specialty. And, the specialty $9.95 dish is Chicharrones de Catán, or catán nuggets, served with homemade tartar sauce, french fries, onion rings, a side salad and corn tortillas. Of course, the option to add an ice-cold, dressed Tecate is also on the table. The catán’s meat is bright white, tender and impeccably flavored. Garcia buys fresh catán, and never freezes it. Businessmen would call it just-in-time logistics, ordered as needed and immediately utilized. “Lo mas fresco es mejor,” Garcia added in Spanish. The fresher, the better. She’s also never changed the catán recipe. When she was just 26 years old, her husband passed away leaving her with a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. She moved from Guanajuato, Mexico to San Benito Please turn to page 14
Pinfish for reds with 18-year-old captain By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News The weather was messed up — rain, wind and a big storm was lurking. Not ideal conditions as the boat left Conn Brown Harbor in Rockport. The 18-year-old captain, though, was upbeat. “We’ll make it happen,” Capt. Aerich Oliver said. The young guide keeps a bucket with fresh dead pinfish iced down. “The pinfish have been producing easy limits of reds, along with some nice trout,” he said. “That’s pretty much the case throughout the summer months on these flats. We just need to hit an area that’s loaded with baitfish and the reds will be there. “If that doesn’t do the trick, we catch live mullet.” Oliver is the grandson of Capt. Charles Newton, who has been a full-time fishing guide in Rockport
since 1985. “I grew up fishing with Charlie, and always wanted to be a guide,” he said. Starting at age 6, he worked as a deck hand for his grandfather, where he learned how to fish and guide. He completed high school in Goliad, and now, he’s in his first
year as a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain. And he’s pretty good at catching redfish. After his first three spots didn’t produce anything on the pinfish, Oliver stopped to throw a cast net
and loaded up a few dozen mullet. Near Hog Island, just off of South Bay, it wasn’t long before three nice redfish were in the boat, and the good fishing continued. The type of fishing is simple and family friendly. Oliver used baitcasting gear, fishing Carolina-rigged style with a 1/4- or 1/2-ounce barrel weight, a swivel, an 18-inch leader and the 3/0 hook. “I keep a lot of fresh dead bait on ice,” said Oliver said. “That’s the key to catching these fish. If it’s been dead for more than one or two hours I don’t use it. My favorite is a chunk of a pinfish. Both trout and reds love that.” A pinfish, a.k.a. pin perch or sand perch, grows to about 4.5 inches long, and they are plentiful during the summer months in bays. It’s got bluish sides, yellow stripes and five vertical bars on each side. They can be used as fresh dead cut bait, or live bait. There is an added benefit — kids
NEW GUIDE, OLD TECHNIQUE: Capt. Aerich Oliver, 18, became a guide after learning how to fish and guide from his grandfather, guide Charles Newton. Pinfish, often called piggy perch, is one of Oliver’s favorite redfish baits. Photos by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
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Floods change lake-bottom structure WHERE IS THAT HUMP? Regular anglers may wonder where their favorite fishing spot went after floods came and went from their favorite lake. The water movement may have changed the spots, covering some and creating others. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
By Mark England
Lone Star Outdoor News Texas floods over the last couple of years have claimed lives and property. Chris Carey’s loss isn’t on that scale. But it does sting, especially for a guide. He lost his favorite fishing spot. Carey and his father, Bill, run Striper Express at Lake Texoma. Last year, his-
toric flooding twice breached the spillway there, which has only happened a handful of times. Afterward, his go-to fishing spot was a shell of itself. “It’s about a mile from the marina,” Carey said. “A couple of humps with nice 6- to 8-foot slopes. We called it Dolly Parton. I noticed last winter it had changed, like someone sanded it down. Now it’s more like a loading Please turn to page 14